On 6 May 2025, the NATO C2COE conducted the first pilot iteration of a newly developed Command and Control Workshop for the Strategic Studies & Research Centre (SSRC), part of the Defence University for Military Studies (DUFMS) of Iraq. This interactive workshop, supported by the NATO Mission to Iraq (NMI), brought together commanders, senior staff officers and academics to discuss topics such as operational-level Command and Control, degrees of authority, the digital transformation within C2 (and its impact), and future challenges.
We were privileged to have the attendance and support of the Iraqi Chief of Defence, General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, during the syndicate sessions. The interactive part of the workshop, where syndicates worked on identifying challenges and how to solve them, was informative and valuable for both the NATO C2COE and the SSRC, offering meaningful insights.
The workshop demonstrated what can be achieved through modern communication, careful planning, and an engaged audience, and it serves as a foundation for future activities between the SSRC and NATO C2COE. The recorded materials will be published on the ILIAS Learning Management System of the DUFMS institutions and made available to the wider Iraqi Armed Forces.
In the coming months, the NATO C2COE will further develop the workshop for delivery to our partner nations and institutions.
